The 60-year-old former Uzbekistan national coach feels that Uzbekistan’s qualification for the FIFA U-20 World Cup this year is clear indication of the country’s progress.

“There are many young players in the national team now and I think they will perform better in Qatar,” Inileev, who guided Uzbekistan to the quarter-finals of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, told the-afc.com in an interview.

He also asked fellow coaches not to forget the entertainment part of football while striving to get the results.

Below are excerpts from the interview:

Q: What is your biggest moment so far in your coaching career?

Inileev: Perhaps coaching the national team was the biggest moment of my coaching career.

Q: Do you think Uzbekistan will be able to fare better in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™ compared to the 2004 and 2007 editions when they qualified for the quarter-finals two times in a row? You were also the head coach in 2007.

Inileev: The national team now has many young players and I think they can do better this time.

Q: The biggest achievement to date for Uzbekistan football is the Asian Games gold in 1994. Do you think the team have what it takes to reach the next level? Perhaps win the AFC Asian Cup or qualify for the World Cup for the first time ever?

Inileev: Our junior team recently made it to the FIFA U-20 World Cup and we are consistently performing well in futsal. I think qualification to the World Cup or AFC Asian Cup glory is not far off.

Q: Uzbekistan missed the 2006 World Cup berth by a whisker when they lost on away goals to Bahrain in the final stage of the Asian qualification. In the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, Uzbekistan lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in the quarter-final. Are the Uzbek players not strong enough mentally?

Inileev: It is necessary to thoroughly analyse each defeat. We were not lucky in the Bahrain game and the Saudi Arabia match proved that we always remain one step away from the target. I hope that we will make this step soon. Yes, the psychological factor is there and I am sure they will overcome it in Qatar.

Q: Uzbekistan have changed their national team coach 10 times in the last 10 years and the longest serving was Mirdjalal Kasimov (September 2008-April 2010), but he also lasted for only less than two years. Do you think continuity and sustainability is very important for a team to have good results on and off the pitch?

Inileev: Stability is important and everything is interconnected.

Q: Do you think the 1994 Uzbekistan team is the strongest ever? How about the 2006 World Cup qualifiers team and 2007 AFC Asian Cup team?

Inileev: To be honest, players in the 1994 team grew up as professionals in the Soviet Union era but the new generation of players grew up in an independent state. This is a completely different team and much younger too.

Q: Tell us about your experience as the national team coach.

Inileev: I think the most important thing which the national team got during my tenure was the respect and recognition of the fans.

Q: What is your coaching philosophy? Do you consider yourself a defence or attack-minded coach?

Inileev: The most amazing thing is as a player I was a defender but my teams and clubs always want to show attacking football. I am focused on attacking game.

Q: Who do you admire as a coach (Asian, Uzbek or foreigner) and why?

Inileev: I have seen a lot of good coaches. I like Konstantin Beskov and Valery Lobanovsky for their style of football. In Asia, however, there are mostly foreigners and are difficult to assess. Coaches in Uzbekistan are also good and I am impressed by the work of Edgar Gess.

Q: Uzbekistan had many outstanding footballers like Igor Shkvyrin, Andrei Fyodorov, Vladimir Maminov and Mirjalol Kasimov and now you have talents like Maksim Shatskikh, Server Djeparov, Timur Kapadze and Victor Karpenko, but why are the country’s football development and progress still so slow compared to countries like Japan and Korea Republic? Is it something wrong with the coaching or youth development system?

Inileev: We have been following the Soviet coaching methods and only now have we started to build academies and football schools. The new generation of players will play in the 2012 London Olympics qualifiers and will fight against Japan and Korea. The success of the national team also depends on the level of the local league. If the league is stronger, the players will improve quickly.

Q: How do you see the future of youngsters like Sherzod Karimov, Davron Mirzayev, Bahodir Nasimov, Vitaliy Denisov and Vagiz Galiullin? It seems like Uzbekistan produces more good attacking players than defensive players. Any reason?

Inileev: Yes, I believe Ivan Nagaev and Jasur Hasanov will be part of the Olympic team and Karimov, Mirzayev, Nasimov, Denisov and Galiullin will be stars of the future.

Q: You won the AFC Coach of the Year Award in 2007 but now you are coaching a second division side in your country. Do you think coaching a club is much more difficult than the national team? Why?

Inileev: It’s difficult to explain about coaching complexities. The coach should enjoy his work and they must be evaluated not only on the basis of results but also by how many players were produced during his reign. It was prestigious to work with the national team but I'm pleased with what I am doing now.

Q: What is the difference between coaching a club side and national team? Is it a difficult thing to manage a club team day to day?

Inileev: We get little time to prepare the national and it’s more about psychology and knowledge of modern football. In the club, however, it is daily work and you can literally build a team from scratch.

Q: Who is the best player you've coached so far?

Inileev: Odil Akhmedov.

Q: What do you think of the Asian Coaches Year and what is your message to your fellow coaches in Uzbekistan?

Inileev: In recent years football has become an industry and we all depend on results. But I want the coaches not to forget the entertainment part. We must work for the fans.